Memory Lane
by rubycaspar
Summary: Future fic. John gives Teyla a Christmas gift. Uber fluffiness. Written for the JT Beya Secret Santa.


Disclaimer – I own none of the Stargate franchise.

This was written as a Secret Santa gift for **Shivika**__so is of course dedicated to her. I hope everyone had a great Christmas. This is complete plotless fluff, and I'm sorry for the lame title – I couldn't think of anything better!

SPOILERS for series four.

**Memory Lane**

"It is very late, Tagan, you need to go to bed."

Tagan looked up and pouted at his mother. "But Momma…"

John stepped up next to Teyla and grinned down at the little boy. "She's right, Tag," he said. Teyla gave him a small smile of gratitude, though she hadn't entirely forgiven him for letting Tagan open one of his Christmas gifts before he went to bed, thereby causing this reluctance to sleep.

The gift – a huge bright blue water pistol – was being examined by Ronon, who was sitting on the floor next to Tagan in front of the Christmas tree. Rodney was sitting on an armchair behind him, and Jennifer was perched on the arm of the chair, both of them watching Tagan with indulgent expressions. Katie had gone to bed already – being seven months pregnant she tired more easily than the rest.

Ronon stood up and Tagan did so too, his eyes trained on the water gun.

"Come now, Tagan – bed," said Teyla firmly. Tagan turned the pout on her again.

"One more…"

"_No_," said Teyla, folding her arms.

"But–" Whatever argument Tagan was going to use next was lost as Ronon bent down and picked up the boy, tucking him under one arm and starting to stride out of the room. Tagan squealed and started to laugh, kicking his legs as Ronon walked through the doorway into the corridor leading to the cabin bedrooms.

"'Night!" Ronon called over his shoulder.

The others laughed and Teyla shook her head, grinning. There were times when there were really no other ways to handle her son, and she had a feeling that Christmas Eve was certainly going to be one of them.

Jennifer stood up and stretched. "Well, I'd better turn in as well," she said.

Rodney yawned. "Me too," he said. "Only problem is I can't move."

Jennifer grabbed Rodney's arm and pulled him to his feet, and the two of them followed Ronon out of the room. Knowing that Ronon would put Tagan to bed for her, Teyla bent down to pick up discarded wrapping paper from Tagan's gift.

"You might as well leave that – there'll be loads more in the morning," said John.

Teyla turned and smiled at him. He had just locked up the front door, and was leaning against the door frame watching her, the key hanging from one hand.

"Thank you for Tagan's gift," Teyla said. "Though I think Ronon is jealous."

John smirked. "Good thing I got one for him too then," he said.

Teyla quirked an eyebrow. "The entire Atlantis expedition is going to hate you," she said.

John grinned and stood up straight. He put the key down on the table and walked over to the light switch. Teyla went back to picking up wrapping paper – Tagan had managed to toss it everywhere.

The main room lights went off, so that the only light came from the smouldering remains of the fire in the grate and the twinkling golden lights of the Christmas tree Teyla stood next to. She turned around to find that John was right behind her, holding a wastepaper basket.

"Here," he said, holding the basket towards her. He smiled as she put the paper inside. "All kids should get to open a Christmas gift before they go to sleep," he said. He put the bin down on the floor.

Teyla shook her head – he was like a child sometimes. In a very endearing way. She smiled at him as he straightened up again.

"May I open a present as well?"

John looked at her in surprise for a moment, and then shook his head, smiling again. Teyla pouted at him just as Tagan had done to her. "Please?"

He laughed. "You're worse than Tag," he said. He looked at her in silence for a moment, and then took a step towards the tree. "Okay… hold on…"

He knelt down and half-disappeared under the branches, rummaging among the presents.

Teyla watched him, feeling a little foolish for her impromptu request, but also curious to see what John was going to do.

He shuffled back and straightened up, and Teyla saw he had a flat, square box in one hand. It was a very dark blue, and had a silver ribbon tied round it. He held it out to her.

"Here," he said, smiling. "Happy Christmas."

Teyla smiled back sheepishly. "You know, I was only joking," she said.

"I know," replied John, looking at her seriously. "But here – open it."

Teyla raised her eyebrows and took the gift. It was quite light, and it didn't make a sound as it changed hands. A small silver label was attached to the ribbon – it simply said 'Teyla'.

"I wonder who it is from…" said Teyla quietly, running a finger along the ribbon.

"It's from me."

Teyla looked up in surprise, and then wondered at herself for the feeling. It wasn't as though she hadn't been expecting John to buy her a Christmas present, but she was a little surprised that he would give her the gift in private like this. He had known she was only joking about receiving a present now, and yet he had still found his gift for her to open.

And he was looking at her so seriously, so intently… Teyla looked back down at the gift and untied the ribbon, her hands shaking slightly. She lifted the lid off of the box and gasped.

It was a necklace, carefully pinned onto thick blue velvet – a necklace that Teyla recognised. She had not seen her childhood necklace since they had used it to trap the wraith almost seven years ago, but here it was… except that it wasn't.

"It's a replica," said John. "It's silver…"

Her breath caught as Teyla carefully unpinned the necklace and removed it from the box. The silver draped over her fingers, supple as the cord they imitated. Teyla swallowed hard, and looked up at John, her eyes misted with tears. He was looking at her nervously, waiting for her reaction.

"John…" Her voice shook as she said his name, and she swallowed again. "It is beautiful. Thank you."

John seemed to slump and looked so relieved that Teyla had to smile. Had he honestly thought that she wouldn't like it?

"You really like it?" He asked imploringly.

Teyla's smile widened. "Of course I do," she said earnestly. She looked back down at the necklace, letting it hang from her fingers and running her thumb over the ornament in the middle. Then John's hand was on hers, his fingers brushing over her knuckles as he gently removed the necklace from her grasp. She let him, keeping her eyes on his hands as they took hold of the ends of the necklace and reached up over her shoulders and round her neck.

John stepped a little closer to Teyla as his arms circled her neck, brushing against the back of her neck as he slid his hands under her loose hair. She trained her eyes on the collar of his shirt, trying to ignore the shivers running up and down her spine that were being caused by the delicious feel of the roughness of the cool silver and the heat of his warm fingers on her skin as he fastened the necklace.

Teyla's heart hammered and her mind raced, thinking of that day seven years ago when she had first met John Sheppard, and he had found her lost necklace in the cave. She had never told him that when he had placed the necklace around her neck she had known by some deep natural instinct that her life was about to change forever.

And it had.

John let out a frustrated sound and Teyla raised her eyes to his – he was frowning slightly, concentrating on his hands which were still trying to fasten the necklace.

"This clasp is a little more complicated than the other one," he said quietly, taking another step towards her. He was now mere centimetres away from Teyla, his breath tickling her ear as he leant round her. She closed her eyes briefly and then reopened them, focusing on what she could see of John's face as he finally secured the necklace and took a small step back.

He had been standing so close to Teyla that the step did not take him at all far from her, and their eyes met as he lifted his head. Their gazes clashed and neither looked away as his hands slowly unwound themselves from around her neck, his fingertips ghosting over her shoulders and coming to rest on her collarbone, just as they had so many years before. Only this time he did not drop his hands, instead lightly caressing the skin at the base of Teyla's neck. Teyla stared up into the liquid green depths of John's eyes, blazing darker by the second, and once again got the feeling that her life was about to change.

One of Teyla's hands came up to rest on John's chest, John's hands slid up the sides of her neck to just under her jaw, and their lips met.

The kiss began slowly, the two of them languorously brushing their lips together, neither able to quite believe it was really finally happening and that the other wasn't pulling away. But then John sucked Teyla's bottom lip into his mouth, running his tongue over the soft flesh of the inside of her lip, and the suppressed longing of seven years bubbled to the surface between them and they were lost.

Teyla dropped the gift box she had still been holding in her hand as she opened her mouth under John's, tilting her head to the side to allow him greater access as he delved his tongue greedily into her mouth, seeming to reach every corner and crevice. She moaned in the back of her throat and her hand clenched into a fist on his chest, balling his shirt up under her fingers. Her other hand came up and into the hair on the back of his head, raking her fingernails along his scalp and dragging him closer to her. She felt his answering groan and she found herself suddenly pressed tight against him, his arm clamped around her back. She slipped her hand under his shirt collar and clung to his shoulder, revelling in the feel of his muscles under bare skin, and knowing that she needed more, much more.

Finally, after what felt like hours of bliss, the need to breathe became too strong for them, and their lips broke apart reluctantly. They rested their foreheads together, their bodies still pressed against one another, their eyes closed as they fought to get their breathing back under control.

"Well–" Gasped out John.

Teyla's eyes fluttered open and she saw that John's were too, looking straight at her. She felt his hands tighten on her back as their eyes met, and she tightened her grip in response, trying to tell him that she wasn't going anywhere.

John gave her a small smile. "Well… that didn't happen the last time," he said.

Teyla smiled back at him and leant away slightly so that she could see him properly, and gently brushed away a lock of hair that was hanging over John's forehead, her fingertips lingering in the touch. His eyes closed briefly as she did so, and when they met hers again it was with a look of such tenderness and adoration that Teyla felt short of breath once more.

She slid her hand down the side of John's face so she was cupping his cheek. The necklace shifted against her sensitised skin as she moved.

"Perhaps it should have," she replied softly.

_**The End**_


End file.
